This seems like the sort of thing one of you guys would know - does anyone know where I can buy a sheet of chainmail?

I don't need a shirt or anything, just one big rectangular piece. I don't need it to be of high quality or authentic construction, either. I'm not trying to defend against rapiers or arrows, just the problems of a friend.

My roommate and I both have anxiety and he definitely has it worse. I recently learned that weighted blankets are a thing, and that being under one significantly combats anxiety. I've experienced this myself from piling up stuff on myself.

Weighted blankets are, however, a ripoff as far as I can tell. For something that it just a blanket with a few pounds of sand sewn into it, they charge hundreds of dollars. Even then, most of these are made for autistic children and my roommate is a large person.

I figure the chainmail would be much heavier and more fun, and if I can get a mass-produced sheet of it somewhere it might cost considerably less than some boutique item that's had the price jacked up.

So, with that said - who knows the best place to buy a chainmail that won't fall apart, made of some kind of metal?

Have a look at The Ring Lord . . . no guarantees, I've never dealt with them, though an acquaintance was pleased about 15 years ago IIRC . . . I think this is who she dealt with, anyway.

if you can sew (or know someone who can), you might try sewing your own heavy blanket . . . I'd use screened clean sandblasting sand with a tight fabric lining to keep dust and fines from escaping. You'll want to subdivide the sand up into small pouches so it doesn't all shift to one side or end.

A scale-mail blanket should also work, and be easier to make yourself.

Sourcing chain mail sheets would be out of most of our experience. The only reason I looked it up was as part of the game I play. Trust me, sleeping in a comfy chain mail tunic is very reassuring when there are monsters out side. Regardless of how 'real' they are.

I've heard awesome things about Ring Lord and Mailletech, but if things don't work out there, check with your local SCA group. They will, doubtless, be able to point you towards any number of local and semi-local peeps who will be able to craft whatever you need.

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I've heard awesome things about Ring Lord and Mailletech, but if things don't work out there, check with your local SCA group. They will, doubtless, be able to point you towards any number of local and semi-local peeps who will be able to craft whatever you need.

Being one of the local peeps someone might go to in my area, I'll add that most of us order from Ring Lord for our supplies. Your mileage may vary, but it's frequently cheaper (including shipping!) to purchase cut rings from Ring Lord than to buy raw wire stock in any quantity locally. That doesn't stop people from manufacturing their own rings at higher cost for the experience

Point is, depending on the local prices in the metals market Ring Lord is probably your best bet for materials to make it yourself, and MailleTec for the welded stuff; they have crazy economies of scale working in their favor.

Edited to add:As an alternative to metal sheets, you may check whether the local SCA chapter has a tailor/seamstress guild. There is a distinct possibility that they'd be helpful in the creation of a lower-cost sand-filled variant for you. Whether they would take it on as a commission or insist on making it a teaching moment for you so that you're not useless in the future will vary wildly between groups; expect that unless they think it's fun they may not be willing to do it even as a commission. Good luck!

If you want to source a local tailor/seamstress, don't be afraid to play up the charity factor. If you source it through a local church you might even be able to get the seamster a deduction on their taxes -- this is a medical device for an actual medical problem, after all, and you're sourcing it this way because you can't afford the industry-standard medical devices.

Also, chainmail may have significant thermal properties as a blanket. Depending on the size of the rings in the sheet you may be sleeping quite warm.

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As another option. Have you priced variable ankle/wrist weights at your local big box store?I have a set that uses a number of small pouches of shot that fit in pockets in the weight. You add/remove as many as you like to achieve the total mass you're interested in.

On a similar note, you might have better luck making "sandbags" using steel shot from your local reloading supply dealer. If nothing else, you'd probably get less dust than with sand. Steel shot will rust, however.

Also, find out if he needs a full blanket, or if just something across his shoulders and chest is all he needs.

. . . On a similar note, you might have better luck making "sandbags" using steel shot from your local reloading supply dealer. If nothing else, you'd probably get less dust than with sand. Steel shot will rust, however. . . .

Steel shotgun shot is actually some fairly complex stuff . . . precision alloy, precise heat treat, etc . . . I'm not sure what all they do to the stuff, so I'd be quite surprised if it's cheaper than shotblasting shot, which is available in a number of different alloys, including stainless IIRC.

Many industrial supply houses can supply shotblasting shot, and you might be able to get used shot even cheaper, though you'd want to know what it was used for and on.